CYPRiEA. 



at the base, and the outer Hp is sharp edged, not at all 

 involute, nor are either of the lips dentated, and the 

 several volutions forming a short spire are strongly 

 marked: in this young state some of the Cypraeee are 

 hyaline and colourless, and have been, consequently, 

 published as Bullae, to which, indeed, notwithstanding 

 the manifest dilferences when full grown, the characters 

 of the animal seem to prove its near relation ; but upon 

 this subject we can go no further than just to express 

 our regret that our acquaintance with the animal is not 

 sufficient to enable us to draw any conclusions, and that 

 Naturalists who have the means do not seem yet disposed 

 to enter with sufficient zeal upon the study of their natu- 

 ral history. 



Arranged by Lamarck next to the Ovulce, to which, 

 indeed, it appears to be evidently very nearly related, 

 the principal mark of discrimination consists in the inner 

 lip of the Cyprseae being dentated, whereas that of the 

 Ovul(B never is. Gyprasa has never been dismembered, 

 as most other Linnean genera have; an abortive attempt 

 has, however^ been made by Montfort, to constitute a 

 genus consisting of the small species that are transversely 

 grooved, such as C. Pediculus, &c., but it is not adopted, 

 and, indeed, it appears to us quite needless. The greater 

 number of species of this Genus are inhabitants of the 

 seas of warm climates; most of these are remarkably 

 beautiful; we may mention as the most rare and valuable 

 the C. Aurora, or Morning-dawn Cowry; the C. Mappa, 

 or Map Cowry; the C. Testudinaria, or Tortoiseshell; 

 the C. pustulata, or Small-pox Cowry; the C. aperta of 

 Swainson, in the Bligh Catalogue, and some others; we 

 need scarcely remind our readers that one particular 

 species, the C. moneta, is commonly current as money 

 in some parts of Africa, and that some species are worn 

 as ornaments by the natives of the Islands in the South 

 Seas. Very few are found in temperate climates : one 

 species is all we can boast of on our own shores, this in 

 its different stages of growth has filled at least four dif- 

 ferent places in the list of British shells. The recent 

 species are, however, very numerous, and so are the 

 fossil; of these latter we have several species in Britain, 

 in the London Clay, and Crag; many others are found 

 on the Continent, as in the Calcaire grossiere, in the 



